Best Big Cat Collection in a Small Zoo

M

Mike11

Well-Known Member
There are many Small zoos in the UK with good cat collections with Linton,Paradise,Dartmoor etc but which one is the best with the facilities,enclsoures and breeding?
Any opinions would be great
Thanks
 
Don't forget that the Rare Species Conservation Centre probably has one of the best collection of small cats in the UK at present with the following species:

Clouded Leopard
Sow Leopard
Puma
Ocelot
Jaguarundi
Margay
Black-footed Cat
Sand Cat
Pallas Cat.

Whether the breeding record and quality of the facilities are good or bad are down to individual opinion though.
 
Thanks for that information i didnt know they kept the bigger species Clouded Leopard and snow Leopard im guessing they are rather recent arrivals?
On my Opinion it is Linton who have Snow Leopards,African Leopards,Amur Tigers and 2 splendid groups of African Lion they have had a few smaller species who have died of old age in the last 5 years and i think are looking to build new enclosures for the African Leopards.
They are cared for very very well ,and are the 'Pride' of the collection.
 
I think Paradise Wildlife Park has a far better collection of Big Cats and the enclosures are to me far better than the ones at Linton,and as for African Leopards surely you mean generic zoo Leopards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Snow leopards abnd pumaat RSCC? where? he hadnt much space left last time I was there!

Wildlife hertitage centre has a nice collection of cats as does Heythrope! Only collection in the UK with Liger!
 
Vulpes said:
Snow leopards abnd pumaat RSCC? where? he hadnt much space left last time I was there!

Wildlife hertitage centre has a nice collection of cats as does Heythrope! Only collection in the UK with Liger!
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i think the liger are gone now, (read it in an older thread) i though the aspinall parks had a nice collection of small cats snow leaopard, persian leoaprd, cheetah, african wild cat, ocelot, pallas cat, fishing cat, clouded leopard, caracal, lynx, servak, lion and tiger!
 
I was thinking about smaller collections
Howletts and Port Lympne do have a fantastic collection though!
I do like Paradise Wildlife Park but there is no where for the animals to hide from the public with most, nearly all indoor houses completely open.
 
I think in ISIS the leopards are African Leopards not Hybrids!
Also it is allways building new and better enviromments for the Cats they mean alot to everyone who works and visits there.
I may be rather biast as it is my home zoo and favourite!
 
Riziki said:
I was thinking about smaller collections
Howletts and Port Lympne do have a fantastic collection though!
I do like Paradise Wildlife Park but there is no where for the animals to hide from the public with most, nearly all indoor houses completely open.
Click to expand...

sorry i forgot the "in a small zoo" part of the thread
 
Riziki said:
I think in ISIS the leopards are African Leopards not Hybrids!
Also it is allways building new and better enviromments for the Cats they mean alot to everyone who works and visits there.
I may be rather biast as it is my home zoo and favourite!
Click to expand...
ISIS also says that West Midlands Safari Park has a pure West African Leopard which is about as pure as a LIGER!!!!!!!!
 
Yes but that doesnt mean that all the leopards listed on ISIS along with the West mids Leopard are hybrids!
 
Riziki said:
Yes but that doesnt mean that all the leopards listed on ISIS along with the West mids Leopard are hybrids!
Click to expand...

Riziki, Zoogiraffe would not highlight this if he wasn't certain about these things.

You only have to look at all the stories of species being reclassified for being hybrids and not purespecies to realise that zoos are still far off from getting things 100% right.
 
Yes i do get your point and now on to the main thing for this thread!:D
What do you think the best Cat collection in a small zoo is?
And also does anyone know what Dartmoor's Old Tiger ridge is like ive seen a picture it looks pretty good.
And another thing any ideas for a new species in the 'Tiger Mountain'?
Any opinions would be great.
Regards
 
Riziki said:
What do you think the best Cat collection in a small zoo is?
Click to expand...

I couldn't really comment on that, not been to enough small zoos (well not many with any Big cats).

Most of these better small zoo's tend to be more in the south and as of yet I havn't got down that way.
 
Oh yes they dp tend to be down there theres quite a few in East Anglia and used to be quite a few in the midlands but have all closed :(
Do you know what the new cheetah enclosure at chester is like?
Thanks
 
Riziki said:
Do you know what the new cheetah enclosure at chester is like?
Thanks
Click to expand...

It's very good. There are 4 pens if I remember correctly (2 are sort of off-show). The two 'public' pens have really long grass, a hill and differing terrain. One of these pens also has large viewing windows from ground level, whereas the rest of the enclosure is viewed from a raised walkway.

If you have the time to trawl through the Chester gallery, there are some excellent exhibit shots in there.
 
Riziki said:
Oh yes they dp tend to be down there theres quite a few in East Anglia and used to be quite a few in the midlands but have all closed :(
Do you know what the new cheetah enclosure at chester is like?
Thanks
Click to expand...

The new cheetah enclosure at chester is fantastic (or is so in my opinion). Two large show paddocks, with 3 off-show.

Below are just a couple of fantastic pics of the new enclosure,

http://www.zoochat.com/42/cheetah-viewing-area-chester-zoo-july-36082/
http://www.zoochat.com/42/cheetah-enclosures-chester-zoo-june-2008-a-36008/
 
Thanks i have managed to trawl through it seems like theres ALOT to take picturess of! :D
It seems like a really good Enclosure
 
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